If you're anything like me, you don't have a problem spending money on your kids or the house, but do have a hard time spending money on YOU. It seems like when we become parents, we don't worry about the things we personally would like.

So, if you look at this past month say, what have you spent on yourself?

I'll start:

ebooks (I love to read)
fancy coffee drinks occasionally

ACK either my mind is blank or that's all I've bought myself!!

I feel like we shouldn't forget ourselves. But it is hard to spend money on myself for whatever reason. What have you gotten?

I actually bought some sale clothes online, two pairs of courduroys and a cardigan in a color that I've needed for a long time (navy blue)! And I think it was this month that I bought myself a donut while the kids were at school (technically a chocolate frosted coffee roll...). I can't remember anything else recently. I think Nutella counts as for me, even though I supposedly buy it for the kids, because they don't really like it much anymore. :)

Strange, experimental art supplies that don't count as the traditional acrylic/oil paints for work. For example I just had 4 chairs cut out of good birch wood on a laser cutter machine, then assembled, glued, water treated and painted them. As a bonus I could give them to DH for his birthday, though we needed outside chairs, so it is really a gift to both of us.

Last year I had some real expensive doozies, like once I made a 1.2 meter "paper airplane" out of epoxy and fiberglass. Cost about 7,000kr - 1,225 us dollars.

Timely question, since we went out for dinner last night and I realized every item in my closet is ancient. I don't even have a nice, plain white t-shirt to wear under a cardigan anymore. I have bought very few new clothes for the past 5 years, although that's partly because I can't find much I like. I did find a couple of nice dresses last summer - almost a year ago.

- glossy magazines - one every month or so

- marmalade and fig jam (I'm the only person who eats either here)

- craft supplies (most recently, some fancy paper)

- workout clothes (although it's been almost a year since I bought anything like this)

- yoga classes

If it ever warms up and I can wear sandals again (it snowed here yesterday!!), then I will get a pedicure.

If we include items for the house, my biggest splurge in the past year was a Vitamix blender. We didn't have a blender or a food processor. I came across a half-price sale for the Vitamix that was too good to resist.

I bought myself 2 pairs of shorts and I finally replaced my every day basic cotton t-shirts. I bought them in 5 different colors. That'll be my uniform for the summer.
I bought myself a pack of pens and last month I splurged on some face cream. I go in phases where I hardly buy anything and then phases like right now where I do break down and spend money on myself.

Books, fabric (and various notions) and chocolate/ice cream. Although the fabric and other sewing bits and pieces are usually to make things for the girls. Although I do buy some fabric with me in mind.

And a treat for DH and me these days is to watch TV and eat ice cream after DD1 is in bed. Our current favourite is honey ice cream with candied fig pieces through it I'm trying to lose weight though so we do try to limit ourselves. Fortunately it only come in a 500ml tub

DH and i have our own spending allowances each month. most often, my allowance goes out to fast food cuz i use my allowance for me and the kids to eat. other than that, it goes to clothes (always used at thrift stores) or coffee.

K, wifey to M, PROUD SAH-mama to Catherine GraceHad a dreamy VBAC to handsome John GabrielCrazy about

Well, nothing typically. LIke most mamas, I tend to think about and put everyone else's needs first, and because I tend to stress about finances so I agonize over every purchase, even if it's ten dollars.

Now that my future unemployment is looming (August), I am of the mindset that I should start buying things off my wishlist NOW, because I def will not have the money or willpower to do it when I lose my dependable income.

SO, things I've bought recently or will be buying here shortly:

Board games (Now I'm buying all the ones I've wanted for so long but could never bring myself to purchase. I def want to have a good collection by the time I'm unemployed. I see it as an investment towards my future entertainment)

Running shoes- I have been putting this off for over a year. No more excuses. Buying them today.

Clothes- Not many, but a few carefully chosen pieces. I've always gone for quality over quantity, and I tend to keep and wear my clothes for a long, long time. Years. Being unemployed and homeschooling, I can see myself easily falling into a 'sweats everyday' routine. For me, this would lead to some bad stuff- depression, laziness, low-self esteem, etc. I am really trying to put some effort into spending money on myself in ways that leads to better physical and mental health- Having clothes that you feel good in is definitely worth the money, although it is hard to follow through on that.

I recently got my hair cut. That felt wonderful! And I bought myself a flat iron to style it. Another thing I had been putting off for over a year.

It is ridiculous how long I've had to sit here, trying to come up with an answer!

I do buy myself clothes and shoes, but almost exclusively on clearance or 2nd hand - and not a lot - so I look at that as a necessity, not splurging. My kids would be pretty embarrassed if I volunteered at their schools or took them to church naked, or in old PJs!

I pick up the occasional thing for our house - always clearance or used. Since I live with all men and boys, they generally think of anything besides meat, video games and Arnold Palmer iced tea as being "for me", but in truth we all benefit from having a home with furniture, enough containers to keep us organized and a bit of decoration so it looks like people actually live here. I don't go overboard with frou-frou things on the walls or chintzy throw pillows or anything. So I don't look at things I buy for the house as splurges on myself.

I enjoy having decent coffee and wine, but those things are just as much for my husband as for me - and Trader Joe's makes them affordable.

So, purely self-serving indulgences:

* Burt's Bees lipstick + other natural make-up, but I use it slowly.

* Antique kitchen doo-dads, to put on top of my cabinets and compliment my awesome, bright red and chrome 1940's oven. I can't pretend anyone else in my home cares about those! But I only buy them when they're super-cheap at a garage sale or something.

* Gasoline. Sometimes I just have to get out of the house, drive for a bit and listen to the Indigo Girls or Blues Traveler. It's wasteful and bad for the environment, so I try not to do it too often, but I swear it has preserved my marriage and my relationships with all 4 of my kids.

One woman in a house full of men: my soul mate: or... twin sons:(HS seniors) ... step-son: (a sophomore) ... our little man: (a first grader) ... and there is another female in the house, after all: our.

* Gasoline. Sometimes I just have to get out of the house, drive for a bit and listen to the Indigo Girls or Blues Traveler. It's wasteful and bad for the environment, so I try not to do it too often, but I swear it has preserved my marriage and my relationships with all 4 of my kids.

I do that too! Sometimes if I'm coming home from an appointment or something, and it's not dinner time, and no one is waiting for me to help with anything, I'll take the long way home and drive through the gorgeous sun-dappled canyon, with my music on the stereo, singing my lungs out. It's as nice as a bubble bath for my mental health.

I do that too! Sometimes if I'm coming home from an appointment or something, and it's not dinner time, and no one is waiting for me to help with anything, I'll take the long way home and drive through the gorgeous sun-dappled canyon, with my music on the stereo, singing my lungs out. It's as nice as a bubble bath for my mental health.

OMG i do that too. I have been able to wipe out the guilt over it. its almost like a meditation for me. to see all the trees and clouds and beauty around me has me turn my radio off and drive bawling my lungs out.

i feel sooooooooo much better when i come home.

out of all the treats sometimes i award myself, this is my favourite. and now my dd enjoys it too and we do it once in a while.

Maybe I shouldn't be answering this or maybe I'm the only one brave enough to be admitting it...?
For years and years we were poor. I sold my car (my most loved possession) to stay home with the kids. I wore the same clothes for a decade and can absolutely relate that I never bought myself anything. I wore sneakers that the sole was separated from the shoe for heavens sake. I still find it hard to get things for me. Well 3 years ago my DH got a huge raise and he pushed me into the Coach store. I thought who in there right mind is going to buy a bag for hundreds of dollars!?! My $12 bag from TJ Maxx had lasted me 7 years! Well I got one and loved it. I felt like a princess. I saw a watch I loved. Turned out to be diamonds and not crystals. My husband made me buy that too. I wear it everyday and feel SO SPECIAL. I've since splurged A LOT on handbags. It makes me so happy and feel so good. My true love is cars. I would love to buy my Mercedes but its $120,000. I may never get one, but at least I can have a fancy handbag. I still wear $7 t-shirts from Target and $20 flip-flops that are 3 years old.

We all have our one special thing that just makes us feel great. Mine just happens to be handbags. (Really cars) Though with a new baby on the way and my husband looking to leave his horrible job and expecting a huge paycut I have not bought anything since Christmas, not even for my birthday and it is horrible.

A chicken ceaser salad from the coffee shop/deli next door to my place of work. I never do that. Can't bring myself to pay $8 for some lettuce and a few strips of chicken. But I'm pregnant again and was really hungry. I did it for my baby.

I don't think I've bought anything for myself in the past month... I picked up a 63 cent felt cut out (a clearance Easter placemat) because I thought it might make a nice texture pressed into clay. I buy myself clothes from the thrift store when I see something that fills a need. All my clothes are pretty beat so this is usually just replacing stained, holey, or ill fitting t-shirts. I bought a roll of patterned contact paper ($6) but that was to soup up some stuff for a yard sale (I recovered the cardboard backing board on some particle board shelves.)

Before Christmas, I bought myself a new blanket ($25) because it had been bothering me for months how our blanket clashed with the color of our bedroom walls. We don't have a bedspread so the blanket is what you see. And last spring, I bought myself a set of vintage drinking glasses ($12) with pretty orange flowers on them from the thrift store. Over the summer, I bought an antique headboard ($20) for a bed size I don't own. It is just a style I really like and I thought I could repurpose it somehow. Spoon carved from about 1890. I need to finish stripping the paint from it. Those were my major purchases for me in the past year!

Oh boy, this is difficult... I have fairly anti-consumerist tendencies so I don't buy much of anything that isn't an essential. However I do consider a good bar of dark chocolate an absolute essential every now and then so I guess that's mainly where I spend money on myself. Trying to think of something else I have bought for myself which wasn't really for the household in general... a nursing bra? new juice jug and glasses? Saving up for a washing machine... Gee, there is really nothing I buy that isn't for the kitchen, house or family! I need to treat myself to a little something! ...But then I remember that we really need to save money for flights to go and see my family and friends after the baby comes and that's going to be one expensive trip! Guess it's too important for me to have the money to do big things like visiting loved ones, and that's why I just can't justify buying little things for myself. But if I did have a little more cash I'd probably indulge on a regular massage!

In love with DP Pregnant with baby #1 (due May 2013) Growing organic food Having a healthy and happy life in harmony with nature